11 Mistakes We All Make When Brushing Your Teeth

Beautiful smile. It is one of your most appealing traits. What can damage your teeth? Poor dental hygiene habits.

Guess what? Many people don’t take proper care of their teeth!

Regular visits to the dentist are necessary for maintaining good dental health. However – good dental hygiene starts at home. It is crucial to brush your teeth correctly in order to maintain healthy gums.

A dentist helped us to create a list that would include common mistakes people make when brushing their teeth. These are the 11 most common mistakes people make when brushing their teeth.

You probably haven’t heard of most of these mistakes unless you’re a dentist. Even though you may have years of experience with brushing your teeth and not having any dental problems, I bet that you’re making at least one of these errors.

#1 Too Much Toothbrush Use

After being used for too many months, toothbrushes are in bad condition. A toothbrush can last approximately three months if it is used consistently (twice daily for seven days).

After 200 uses, you will need to change your brush. The bristles will eventually become frayed and worn. Bristles that are broken or frayed won’t clean properly. Once the bristles become stiff, it’s time to change your toothbrush.

After a few months of daily toothbrush use, bacteria and food particles start to build up on the toothbrush. Your toothbrush should be changed every three months.

Brushing is an important habit to keep up with, but not everyone can do it consistently 3x per day, especially when they’re so busy.

AutoToothbrush is a great option. These optimized bristles are stronger than traditional toothbrushes and can polish your teeth while being gentler on your gums.

#2 Not Brushing Enough

A tooth brushing session should last no more than two minutes. Average brushing time for a person is 45 seconds. Any time shorter than 2 minutes does not allow the fluoride in toothpaste to bond to your tooth enamel.

By slashing our brushing time, we often miss clean teeth. Sometimes, parts of your mouth are neglected. While you may have white pearly teeth in the front, what about the side and back?

To help you get the distance, we recommend an electronic toothbrush with a timer. You can also use your phone’s stopwatch or a watch to help you track the distance. You can also hum along to a song that lasts two minutes.

Make sure you only brush your teeth for 2 minutes.

#3 After brushing your teeth, rinse your mouth with water

Make the mistake of rinsing your mouth with water after brushing teeth. Yes, you should not rinse your mouth with water after brushing teeth. Although you can spit out toothpaste, water will cause a reduction in fluoride efficacy.

You may want to wash your mouth more often than you normally do. You can use fluoride-containing mouthwashes or rinses instead of water. Rinse, gargle and spit out your mouthwash. Don’t drink water.

Drink water and other beverages at least 30 minutes after you brush your teeth.

#4 Keep Your Toothbrush in the Bathroom

It is a bad idea to keep your toothbrush in the bathroom. This mistake is likely to happen to all of us. A study showed that more than half of toothbrushes in households contain bits of human feces. The contents of your toilet bowl get sprayed everywhere you flush it.

This is especially important if you share your bathroom, especially if there are children in the home. This problem can be reduced by putting a lid on your toothbrush.

You might consider storing your toothbrush somewhere other than your bathroom, such as on your nightstand or in your medicine cabinet.

These data prompted me to look into an electronic toothbrush that has a cleaning system. The base station on the electric toothbrush that I have mentioned above gives it a thorough clean and eliminates germs.

Remember to close your toilet seat lid before flushing.

#5 Not Using Dental Floss

Make the mistake of using your dental floss. Make it a habit to floss daily if you don’t do so already. To remove plaque between your teeth and places your toothbrush can’t reach, flossing should be done at least once per day. Plaque that isn’t removed by flossing or brushing can become hard, calcified deposits on your teeth.

You should set up a system to ensure you get into the difficult places between your teeth. This will prevent bacteria from thriving on food bits. Floss every day.

It is the hardest part. Floss at least one tooth. It’s much easier to floss the rest of your teeth if you start with one.

Individual flossing wires are better than long flossing cords wrapped around my fingers.

#6 Your Tongue is Not Cleansed

Tooth-brushing error: Not cleaning your tongue. Clean your tongue after brushing your teeth to remove bacteria and prevent bad breath.

A tongue cleaner removes any remaining bacteria from your tongue. You don’t have to do this, so get a toothbrush with a tongue scraper.

To clean your tongue, you can use the bristles on your toothbrush to brush your teeth. Although it’s not as effective as a tongue scraper, it will do the job.

Every time you brush your teeth, it is important to clean your tongue.

#7 Use A Hard Bristle Toothbrush

Hard bristle tooth brushes can damage your teeth. Too stiff bristles can cause gum damage.

Choose soft bristles or extra-soft. To get food particles out of between your teeth, all you need is a toothbrush. They are not meant to be polished.

You can remove protective enamel by brushing your teeth with hard bristles or medium bristles. Sensitive teeth and sensitive gums can result.

#8 Using Incorrect Brushing Technique And Motion

Man makes a mistake when brushing his teeth incorrectly. You should brush your teeth in circular motions. Don’t try to go back and forth. The circular motions are gentler and more effective in cleaning between your teeth.

The toothbrush should touch both the gumline and the teeth. You should use a gentle touch and not press too hard. You should not use too many side-to-side strokes to scrape the soft tissue between your gums and teeth.

You can improve your oral hygiene by placing your toothbrush vertically behind your front and bottom teeth. Then, use gentle rolling strokes with the front half of your brush.

Do not brush your teeth so hard that your bristles are bent.

#9 Toothbrushing at the Wrong Angle

Make the mistake of brushing your teeth at an incorrect angle? Always hold your brush at 45 degrees and use short circular strokes. This is the best angle to clean your brush.

This angle ensures superior cleaning below and above the gum line. To clean between the gums and teeth, use the middle row of bristles. Cleansing the gumline properly prevents discoloration, cavities, and other gum diseases.

You’ll find some toothbrushes that have angled bristles because of this.

#10 Do Not Change Your Teeth Brushing Routine
Man with a tooth brush looks at the mirror
We brush our teeth on autopilot. We brush the same areas, and then we forget to brush another.

You can try something new by starting in a different place and following an irregular path. This will prevent you from becoming lazy when you reach the end of your brushing routine.

An electric toothbrush has the advantage that you don’t have to direct it. It can reach those difficult-to-reach areas in your mouth faster and with less effort.

#11 Brushing your teeth more than twice a day

You don’t need to brush your teeth twice a day. Some people believe it is okay to brush your teeth three or four times per day, usually after each meal.

My dentist disagrees. Your gums can be damaged and the enamel of your teeth eroded if you brush more than twice a day.

What is the best time to wait after a meal to brush your teeth?

People don’t wait to brush their teeth after eating acidic meals. Your saliva contains more acid than your mouth, so the pH levels drop after eating. Brushing your teeth can push these acids deeper into your enamel. Brushing your teeth should be done at least 30 minutes following a meal.

A new habit takes approximately three weeks to master. Every week, make one change to your tooth-brushing routine. Your mouth will feel fresher. You can protect your gums long-term by visiting the dentist regularly and not making these mistakes when brushing your teeth.